A mandatory public hearing on a charter school petition and a possible vote on spending millions for management costs on Measure G bond projects are two of the hot topics to be discussed Tuesday evening at the Morgan Hill Unified School District’s Board of Education meeting.
All bi-monthly school board meetings begin at 6 p.m. inside the district office, located at 15600 Concord Circle in Morgan Hill.
Navigator Schools, headed up by Gilroy Prep co-founders James Dent and Sharon Waller, officially submitted their petition April 16 to establish Morgan Hill Prep in the fall of 2014 – prompting the Board to hold a public hearing within 30 days.
At Tuesday’s meeting, the Board will “determine the level of support for the petition by teachers, other employees of the district, and parents/guardians,” states the agenda item, which is first on the docket. The Board will then have another 30 days to “either approve or deny the request to establish the charter school.”
There are two public session items covering program management options for Measure G, the $198 million capital improvements bond voters approved in November 2012.
The first is a follow-up discussion from the April 30 meeting on the cost comparisons of each of the three management options, which for three years would cost $540,000; a little more than $1.5 million or $4 million depending on the plan.
The second agenda item is an action item – meaning the Board will put it to vote – on the possible hiring of Cumming Corporation (an international project and cost consulting firm with an office in San Jose) as facilities consultant. MHUSD is required to spend $55 million of the $198 million Measure G pot over the next three years, as stipulated in the bond parameters according to Director of Facilities Anessa Espinosa.
The only Board-approved, Measure G-funded project is the phase I modernization of the old Burnett Elementary School campus, which the Board recently decided will be the new home for Central Continuation High School next year.
Other potential projects slated for this summer that have not been officially approved by the Board include the construction of a multipurpose room at the Charter School of Morgan Hill on Monterey Road, fencing at Britton Middle School and various roofing projects at other facilities.
Management expenses for Measure G have come under fire from residents because on the voting ballot back in November 2012, the language stipulated that the funds could only be used “to improve student access to computers and modern technology… repair or replace leaky roofs, upgrade old plumbing, heating/cooling systems, classrooms and outdated restrooms, upgrade fire safety, maximize energy efficiency, improve handicapped accessibility, and modernize, construct and acquire classrooms, equipment, sites and facilities.”
